I am proud to be one of 13 state legislators this year to score a perfect 100% conservative rating by The Oklahoma Constitution newspaper.
The publication each year rates Oklahoma legislators on ten key votes selected by a committee of newspaper staff and members of the Oklahoma Conservative Political Action Committee.
1. I voted yes for Senate Joint Resolution 34, which would have referred to a vote of the people a state question to amend the Oklahoma Constitution to replace the Judicial Nominating Commission with a method that would have allowed the governor to nominate a person he believes to be highly qualified with confirmation by the Oklahoma Legislature. The measure ultimately failed.
2. I was the House author of Senate Bill 426, which safeguards the liberties and rights of Oklahomans by prohibiting the state from enforcing any mandates or recommendations issued by the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations (UN), or the World Economic Forum (WEF). This ensures the state will not compel its residents to adhere to directives such as masks, vaccines, medical testing, or the gathering of public or private information by these unelected global entities.
3. I voted yes for House Bill 1449, the Women’s Bill of Rights, which updates state law to ensure all statutory references to women refer to a person’s biological sex and, specifically, individuals who were born female. It prohibits unfair sex discrimination while also allowing state government to make distinctions between the sexes to ensure privacy and safety in restrooms, athletic facilities, locker rooms, domestic violence shelters, rape crisis centers, prisons and other detention facilities.
4. I voted no against Senate Bill 1122, which would have limited spending by the office of the state superintendent of public instruction and the State Department of Education in ways not found in other state agencies. Section 15 would have required SDE to apply for every federal grant applied for by the previous superintendent, even ones found to be wasteful. Section 16 forbid the SDE from using any money for public promotional purposes, placing unnecessary restrictions on the current superintendent’s ability to communicate with the public. Former Supt. Joy Hofmeister spent close to $800,000 on public relations and communication in her last year in office. The expenditures for public communication under Ryan Walters have been $200,000 per year. Gov. Stitt ultimately vetoed the two controversial sections.
5. I voted yes on House Bill 3013, which would have criminalized the trafficking of abortion-inducing drugs, making it a felony offense. The measure excluded pharmacists, manufacturers, and distributors operating lawfully for medical purposes. The bill passed the House but stalled in the Senate
6. I voted yes for House Bill 4156, creating the criminal act of impermissible occupation, which occurs if a person willfully and without permission enters and remains in the State of Oklahoma without having first obtained legal authorization to enter the United States. A conviction is a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment in the county jail for up to 1 year, a fine of not more than $500 or both a fine and imprisonment. A second or subsequent conviction is a felony, punishable by imprisonment for up to 2 years, a fine of up to $1,000 or both fine and imprisonment. Any person convicted would be required to leave the state within 72 hours following conviction or release from custody, whichever comes later. The act is necessary because of the failure of the federal government to address this issue. Those who want to work through the process of coming to our country legally are more than welcome here, but we cannot tolerate illegal behavior. The bill has been challenged in court and is not yet in effect.
7. I voted yes for Senate Bill 1994, allowing a property owner to request the sheriff of a county in which a property is located to immediately remove a person or persons unlawfully occupying real property if certain conditions are met. Currently such matters are treated through civil process, and law enforcement officers are reluctant to get involved. Private property owners must hire an attorney, and the process often drags out for lengthy periods and can cost the owner extensive legal fees.
8. I voted yes for House Bill 3156 to prohibit the use of ranked-choice voting in Oklahoma elections. This method requires voters to designate their top choice in a race, their second choice, and so on down the ballot for however many candidates are listed. If no candidate receives a majority, the least popular candidate is eliminated and their voters would have their votes reallocated to their second-choice candidate, with the process repeating until one candidate is calculated to have a majority. The process requires specialized computer software. It makes voting confusing and has delayed election results everywhere it has been tried. It’s already been banned in other states.
9. I voted no on House Bill 4012, which allocates funds to construct an arch at the Oklahoma State Capitol. This is an unnecessary use of taxpayer dollars and adds no true value to our state.
10. I also voted no on House Bill 3959, which created the Major Sports Leagues Rebate Program by expanding the Quality Jobs Incentive Program to allow professional sports teams of the five major sports leagues (National Football League, National Basketball Association, National Hockey League, Major League Baseball, and Major League Soccer) to receive payments from the Oklahoma Tax Commission. I don’t consider this a good use of taxpayer dollars.
As always, if I can help you with anything, please call my Capitol office at (405) 557-7413 or email me at rick.west@okhouse.gov.
Rick West serves District 3 in the Oklahoma House of Representatives. His district includes part of LeFlore County.
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